Vulnerable continue to suffer

Published: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 7:32 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 7:32 a.m.

If you work in health care or higher education, these are the words you have gotten used to seeing from the state.

Even more importantly, if you are one of the many thousands of people in our region who use these services, you have by now grown accustomed to seeing those services shrink time and again.

Students at Fletcher and at Nicholls State have seen their tuition and fees rise while the services available to them have been slashed to accommodate repeated cuts in state spending on higher education.

It is much the same story in health care, where the state has made numerous budget cuts in recent years.

All the regional hospitals have been affected, but Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center might be bearing the brunt of the cuts.

Unfortunately, Chabert and the rest of the state’s charity hospitals, primarily exist to serve the people who already have the fewest options and the greatest needs.

Just six months ago, Chabert was forced to deal with budget cuts by eliminating its labor-and-delivery unit and laying off more than 100 workers. Those employees accounted for about 10 percent of the hospital’s staff.

Now, Chabert and the other charity hospitals are being asked to submit plans to deal with yet another round of cuts, though the cuts have not yet been announced.

One possibility — the most extreme this time around — is that the hospital could face a decrease of another 34.5 percent of its budget.

The state must re-examine the ground rules it has for dealing with budget cuts.

Because of constitutional protections in most other areas of state spending, budget cuts have to be absorbed predominately by health care and higher education.

There is little flexibility allowed to state officials to spread cuts evenly around the entire budget. Instead, health care and higher education — two places where the state is still in dire need — get the lion’s share of cuts each time there are cuts.

In recent years, that has occurred more and more often, underlining the need to change the ground rules.

Still, the cuts go on. And they will continue to go on until state leaders muster the courage and political conviction to change the system.

State Rep. Dee Richard, a Thibodaux independent, has sent out a petition to his fellow legislators seeking a special session to address this year’s cuts. That is a good first step. Richard’s colleagues should join him in addressing this pressing need.

In the alternative they — and we — should prepare for worse and worse cuts to vital services.

<p>Cuts, cuts and more cuts.</p><p>If you work in health care or higher education, these are the words you have gotten used to seeing from the state.</p><p>Even more importantly, if you are one of the many thousands of people in our region who use these services, you have by now grown accustomed to seeing those services shrink time and again.</p><p>Students at Fletcher and at Nicholls State have seen their tuition and fees rise while the services available to them have been slashed to accommodate repeated cuts in state spending on higher education.</p><p>It is much the same story in health care, where the state has made numerous budget cuts in recent years.</p><p>All the regional hospitals have been affected, but Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center might be bearing the brunt of the cuts.</p><p>Unfortunately, Chabert and the rest of the state's charity hospitals, primarily exist to serve the people who already have the fewest options and the greatest needs.</p><p>Just six months ago, Chabert was forced to deal with budget cuts by eliminating its labor-and-delivery unit and laying off more than 100 workers. Those employees accounted for about 10 percent of the hospital's staff.</p><p>Now, Chabert and the other charity hospitals are being asked to submit plans to deal with yet another round of cuts, though the cuts have not yet been announced.</p><p>One possibility — the most extreme this time around — is that the hospital could face a decrease of another 34.5 percent of its budget.</p><p>The state must re-examine the ground rules it has for dealing with budget cuts.</p><p>Because of constitutional protections in most other areas of state spending, budget cuts have to be absorbed predominately by health care and higher education.</p><p>There is little flexibility allowed to state officials to spread cuts evenly around the entire budget. Instead, health care and higher education — two places where the state is still in dire need — get the lion's share of cuts each time there are cuts.</p><p>In recent years, that has occurred more and more often, underlining the need to change the ground rules.</p><p>Still, the cuts go on. And they will continue to go on until state leaders muster the courage and political conviction to change the system.</p><p>State Rep. Dee Richard, a Thibodaux independent, has sent out a petition to his fellow legislators seeking a special session to address this year's cuts. That is a good first step. Richard's colleagues should join him in addressing this pressing need.</p><p>In the alternative they — and we — should prepare for worse and worse cuts to vital services.</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of</p><p>the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>